In oriental medicine, Artemisia Iwaymogi(Compositae) has been used clinically for jaundice, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis etc. The purposes of present study were to examine pharmacological effects of Artemisia lwaymogi water extract(AIWE) on weights of body, liver, kidney, spleen and adrenal, and on biochemical parameters (activities of AST, ALT and LDH, contents of cholesterol and triacylglycerol, and levels of hepatic lipid peroxide) against hepatic injury by carbon tetrachloride(CCl₄) in rats.
The results were as follow;
1. Body weights were reduced by CCl₄. In AIWE pretreatment groups, reduction of body weights was inhibited at 48 hours. Increased liver weights by CCl₄ were reduced in proportion to numbers of treatment. of AIWE in AIWE pre- and posdzeatment groups. Increased kidney weights by CCl₄ were reduced in AIWE pretreatment groups at 72 hours.
Increased weights of spleen and adrenal by CCl₄ were not affected by AIWE treament.
2. Increased AST activities by CCl₄ were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in AIWE posttreatment groups at 48 and 72 hours. Increased ALT activities by CCl₄ were significantly(p<0.05) decreased in AIWE posttreatment groups at 48 hours. Increased LDH activities by CCl₄ were very significantly (p<0.01, p<0.001) decreased in AIWE posttreatment groups at 48 and 72 hours, respectively.
3. Increased cholesterol contents by CCl₄ were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in AIWE posttreatment groups at 24 and 48 hours. Decreased triacylglycerol contents by CCl₄ were significantly (p<0.05) increased in AIWE posttreatment at 48 and 72 hours.
4. Increased hepatic lipid peroxide levels by CCl₄ were significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01) decreased in AIWE posttreatment groups at 48 and 72 hours, respectively.
In conclusion, AIWE did not affect normal liver function and had property of antiooidant, due to reduced lipid peroxidation by CCl₄. AIWE seems to have hepatoprotective effects rather than direct preventive effects to CCl₄-induced necrotic degeneration of liver cell, cholestasis and damages in metabolism of lipid.
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